Tony Ferguson expects to beat Charles Oliveira “decisively” at UFC 256

Tony Ferguson expects to put on a show on Saturday night.

In the co-main event of UFC 256, Ferguson is set to return to the Octagon against rising contender, Charles Oliveira. It is a very intriguing matchup and one many believe is a crossroads fight for “El Cucuy” if he wants to remain a top contender at 155lbs.

However, for Ferguson, he likes this matchup quite a bit and is expecting to beat the Brazilian decisively.

“Charles Oliveira is a hell of a fighter, I’ll be real. He’s good, he’s really good. But, I have to start believing in myself,” Ferguson said on UFC Countdown. “Putting in the work and proving it to myself, I’m not owing it to anybody else anymore. And, I will win decisively.”

There is a ton riding on this fight for Tony Ferguson. After he lost to Justin Gaethje in May, many wondered if his time as a top contender was over. He took a ton of damage but it was his first loss in eight years. He’s also the former interim champ so you can never count him out. However, he has already warned Oliveira if he misses weight the fight is off, so perhaps he doesn’t even fight on Saturday.

Tony Ferguson is coming off a fifth-round TKO loss to Justin Gaethje for the interim lightweight title. The loss snapped his 12-fight winning streak where he beat the likes of Donald Cerrone, Anthony Pettis, and Kevin Lee among countless others.

Charles Oliveira, meanwhile, is on a seven-fight winning streak and picked up the biggest win of his career last time out as he submitted Kevin Lee in the main event of UFC Brasilia. During this run, he holds wins over Clay Guida, Nik Lentz, Jim Miller, and Jared Gordon.

Do you think Tony Ferguson will beat Charles Oliveira decisively at UFC 256?